Imagine buying a new shiny toy, taking it out the package, plugging it into your computer and then having your anti-virus catch a virus on it (you do have anti-virus right?). Couldn’t happen right or maybe only on a product from some second rate company. Well, several notable devices have been manufactured with malware already installed on them, including cameras (Olympus), smartphones (Samsung), Video iPods (Apple) and everyone’s favorite, USB drives (SanDisk).
Story time! After a few workers returned from an overseas trip, they noticed all their laptops had been affected by a virus. After IT examined the laptops, all of which showed the same infection, IT asked if they had been sharing USB drives. They insisting that they had not shared USB drives though they did mention they had all bought USB drives while overseas. Examining the purchased USB drives, we noticed that they were the same exact USB drives with the same malware on them...coincidence...perhaps.
Better quality assurance measures at the manufactures are the only way to stop this problem, however, since it is unlikely the malware is new, anti-virus should have definitions to block it. A few quick tips to protect you.
- Disable auto-run
- Scan all devices with anti-virus before connecting
- Update anti-virus definitions
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